This invention relates to a connector for joining structural members. The connector of the present invention has particular application as a sheet metal hanger for use in a hip roof, joining supported jack trusses to supporting girder trusses. A hip roof has sloped ends as well as sloped sides. The roof rises by inclining planes from all four sides of the building of which it is a part. The line where an adjacent sloping side and sloping end meet is generally called the “hip.” The four hips generally run from a corner of the building to the peak of the roof at a 45 degree angle. The hips are not merely lines, but are either rafters or trusses. The ends of the roof can be built up from flat-topped trusses that step down from the roof peak. Alternatively, the ends of the roof can be made from sloping jack trusses that run parallel to the roof peak and which are supported by the end wall of the building and by a girder truss. The ends of the roof can also be made with a combination of stepped-down flat-topped trusses and jack trusses, in which case the flat-topped truss closest to the end wall is the girder truss supporting the jack trusses. Generally, any truss that does not span from wall to wall is referred to as a jack truss, so the truss on the hip line could be referred to as a jack truss. However, for the sake of clarity, the truss on the hip line will be referred to as a hip truss in the present application. In addition to the jack trusses that run parallel to the roof peak and are supported by a girder truss, there generally are shorter jack trusses that are supported by the hip trusses where the hip trusses approach the corners of the roof and building.
In the particular application for joining multiple members, the framing members may be lumber or wood trusses, but in the most preferred form the framing members are hollow steel trusses. The connection is most typically made at the junction of the supporting girder truss and one hip truss framing member.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,465, granted to Tyrell T. Gilb teaches a sheet metal connector for making multiple truss connections. U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,359, granted to Karen Colonias also teaches a similar connection with a sheet metal hanger; however, neither of these patents teach the improved connector of the present invention.